Moments of Our Lives
by Riny Beoulve
Summary: A lj lover100 table B fic challenge for Sabin x Terra some more friendship based, others geared more towards romance. All stand alone fics unless otherwise noted at beginning. Prompts not in any specific order, link to whole table in profile. Ratings K-T
1. 001 Romance

A/N: I decided to pick up a challenge from the LJ community lover100 for TerraXSabin. I realize they're not the most popular pairing for this fandom, but they're my favorite. They'll all be stand alone fics following a pretty similar continuity unless I say otherwise. The full table can be found here in my livejournal (.). I'm certainly taking requests and challenges for these 100 fics, so please feel free to check the prompt table out and drop me a line either here or at my livejournal.

Sabin paused for a moment as he stood on a hill looking over Mobliz. He put his pack down just for a moment to stretch his back out. The sun had been up for a couple hours, so he figured that Terra had just sent the children outside to play for a bit and start their chores while she cleaned up after breakfast and had a short break before she prepared for lunch.

Regardless, he knew that she wasn't expecting him since he had told her he'd be away training for a while. He picked his pack back up and began walking towards Mobliz. While he did, his mind wandered.

* * *

Locke, Edgar, Cyan, Setzer, Strago, and Sabin sat around a card table in Figaro Castle. The guys had made it a point to continue to get together and Figaro Castle proved to usually be the best place to congregate. It always proved to be a night of drinking, excessive gambling, outrageous tale-telling, loud arguments and random conversations.

This particular night romance was apparently on everyone's mind, since Edgar and Setzer almost immediately started in on Locke and when he was going to propose to Celes. Sabin chimed in and made a joke about how Locke wouldn't until he could find a ring in cave somewhere.

"Yeah, well when are you going to finally stop pretending?" Locke asked, directed at the monk.

Before Sabin had even realized it, the table had turned towards him. "Pretending about what brother?" Edgar asked, his eyes full of curiosity.

"Aha, I bet there has been a girl all this time!" Strago piped up, apparently proud of his astute observation.

Sabin attempted to hide his embarrassment from the attention on him, but fumbled over his words so poorly Edgar knew that they had caught him. "So do tell, dear brother."

Sabin cleared his throat and stared at his cards. "A uh… a gentleman doesn't… kiss and tell," he feebly attempted to respond.

"Pfft, like you've even dropped a hint to her," Locke replied, leaning back in his chair laughing at Sabin. Sabin, who was one not to get angry easily, simply laughed along with him.

"All right then," Setzer began as he pulled all the cards together to shuffle. "So who's the lucky girl? Do we know her?"

"You could say that," Sabin answered, his eyes staring at the table.

"And by that he means, yes. Yes you guys all do," Locke answered with a smug smile.

"Wha? Hey!" Sabin exclaimed and jumped up, staring at Locke. Two seconds later, he realized that the rest of the guys at the table were attempting to contain their laughter. Sabin sat back in his chair and tipped his head back, realizing that his outburst only proved Locke's statement to be true.

"Well I suppose there are only so many women that we all would know," Cyan stated calmly while tossing a couple of his chips into the center of the table.

The room was silent as they played through their current hand. Sabin looked around at his friends, noticing that while Locke still had his smug, knowing grin, the others looked at each other as if they were attempting to read each other's minds.

"I think I've got a good idea," Edgar finally said. "And I think that you should make a grand gesture of romance to her." Edgar swept his arm dramatically to go along with his statement. "I think she'd love something beautiful like a diamond necklace."

"I don't know if that's very practical for her…"

"Then you should wait until the moon is full and bring her beneath a blossoming tree to recite poetry to her," Cyan suggested. Sabin arched an eyebrow. "What? It worked with my wife."

"All you need to do is bring her somewhere she's never been before. Women love exotic places. Trust me," Setzer chimed in.

All too quickly, Sabin answered "She's already seen most of it all anyway." He then grimaced when he knew he surely had given everything away.

Finally, Strago decided that it was his turn to give advice. "Just bring her a bottle of good wine and if there's good feelings between the two of you, you'll have a night of passion." Setzer nodded as he said this. "Always works for me," Strago finished with a shrug.

"Ugh!" Locke and Setzer exclaimed while Cyan laughed heartily. "Old man, that is not something we needed to hear," Locke continued while tossing in his ante.

"What? I haven't been old my whole life you know!"

Much to Sabin's relief, the conversation never turned back to him and his probably-not-so-mystery girl.

* * *

Despite the embarrassment, Sabin remembered the conversations with a smile. So what was he, supposed to take Terra to an exotic place with a flowering tree to give her a diamond necklace, read her poetry, and get her drunk on a bottle of red wine? Sabin laughed at the thought.

"Sabin's back!" The squeal took him out of his thoughts and back to the present. As soon as he saw two of the six year olds running towards him, he smiled and began to wave.

"Hey guys!" He answered when they got near him. The little boy immediately began to hang off his left arm while the little girl reached up for his right hand. He could only chuckle and nod when they began chattering and sharing stories of what had happened since the last time he had been there.

By the time Sabin approached the main house he had, from his best guess, three kids hanging off of him, one holding each hand, and four others that he was nearly tripping over. Terra at this point had stepped out of the house to see what all the commotion was about. When he up at her, she was smiling with her hair tied quickly in a messy bun, a well worn red dress, and a now grey apron covered with flour and grease. He smiled and waved to her while thinking how cute she looked like that.

"Hi Sabin! I didn't expect you back so soon."

"Is that a bad thing? I could go if you wanted me to…" He trailed with a smile, knowing full well that the kids would start screaming to stop teasing them and pulling at his arms to force him to stay.

"You're more than welcome here," Terra replied over the noise.

Sabin turned to all the kids around them. "All right guys! Who's taking care of the animals today?" Several of the children raised their hands. "Okay, go off and make sure they're okay and well fed!" The kids answered with a new found excitement that they would and took off smiling and giggling. "All right, then who is taking of the plants and making sure they're growing nice and tall?"

Several of the kids left raised their hands and jumped excitedly. "We can pick the strawberries soon!" One of them exclaimed.

"Okay, then you better take care of them really well today." He then looked to the remainder of the group, all of the older children. "So what are you guys doing today?"

"We're going to the forest to help Duane bring back wood," one of the boys answered. "You should come help Sabin!"

"Yeah, we'll be able to bring a lot more back if you come with us!" One of the girls added.

Sabin looked up at Terra and smiled. "Well, I guess I know what I'm doing for the day. All right guys, let's get going!"

Terra smiled as she watched him. Without missing a beat, he had gotten everyone focused and joined in their day's work. She thought about trying to tell him he didn't have to, but she always said it to him, and he always did it anyway. The last couple of times he insisted that she really didn't have to keep reminding him she didn't expect anything from him. As the group walked away towards the forest, Terra wave and called out, "Be good! Take care!"

Sabin looked over one shoulder and gave her a simple wave back.

A full day of work, cooking, and cleaning went by. Terra had nearly forgotten that Sabin had just arrived from the way he blended in so well with the day's activities, unlike the way Setzer had a tendency to disrupt everything. The sun finally set, the children were finally put to bed, and Terra finally had a chance to sit on the floor near the fireplace with a blanket that Sabin had given her during the winter the year before.

"Crazy day's finally over huh?" He asked as he sat down next to her.

"As always," Terra answered with a genuine, but tired smile as she offered some of her blanket to Sabin. He held his hand out, motioning that he was fine. "I'm so sorry, but I haven't gotten any more of your tea yet. I can make you some of my white tea or I have some dried fruit I could use for an herbal tea."

"Hey, don't worry about it. Actually, I have something for you," Sabin said as he got back up and walked over to his pack that had been abandoned by the door previously. He pulled two small items wrapped in brown paper and checked them over to make sure they were still in good condition. "Here," he said as returned to his seat next to her and handed them to her.

"Sabin, you didn't have to," Terra answered as she accepted them.

"It's part of the fun of traveling," Sabin answered as he watched her delicately open the heavier of the two.

"Oh! It's the next two books of the series I've been reading! I didn't even know these were out!" Terra exclaimed as she thumbed through the thick romance books that were her secret pleasure. Sabin was one of the few people who knew about it and the complicated reasons why she first started to read them. Terra put the books next to her and went to the next rectangular object. She unwrapped that in the same fashion and found a decorated tin advertising the hot cocoa mix inside of it. Sabin watched her eyes light up. "Wow, I haven't had any since the last time I went to Figaro!" Terra threw her arms around Sabin and kissed him on the cheek. "You're the best Sabin!"

Sabin's heart nearly jumped out of his chest when she kissed him. A second later, Terra timidly pulled away. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" There was silence between them - the awkward kind that really only belonged between teenagers. Terra turned a bright shade of red, realizing what she had done. "I'll go start on the hot cocoa," she said quickly, jumping to her feet and practically dashing to the kitchen.

As Sabin sat and stared at the fire, he could practically hear the guys at the poker table laughing at him – and probably rightly so. He watched the fire dance and quickly realized that so many things had been leading up to this point. The way she used him as a pillow more than once and the way he could feel her heart race faster when they were closer to each other. She was always excited to see him, and though she hid it well, hated it when he went away.

"And myself?" Sabin asked. Like he had to ask; as if he didn't already know the answer. He realized that maybe it was finally time to act on it and take that risk. After all, Terra had already started it, hadn't she?

Sabin rose to his feet and made his way to the kitchen. Part of him was confident in what he was doing, the other part was wondering where his sanity had gone. He took a step into the kitchen and watched Terra nervously fidgeting in front of a pot on the stove. She looked up at him, and shied away quickly. Sabin took a few more steps into the kitchen to stand next to her. He put his hand on her back, and gently moved it around her shoulder. Before he realized what he was doing, he had leaned down to kiss her.

And he was so relieved when she put one of her small hands on his neck and returned the kiss.

Later, when they sat side by side in front of the fire with their mugs of hot cocoa and his arm around her, Sabin's mind wandered to the conversation about how to romance a woman. He figured the guys would never believe that giving a girl two books, hot chocolate, and kissing her in the kitchen while she started to make said hot chocolate would be romantic in any way shape or form.

And yet, it had been perfect.


	2. 002 Beauty

A/N: Since the lj community allows it, I decided that my fanfic I've posted up previously "Beauty of the Sky" would be perfect for this prompt. This is that fic with some grammatical corrections.

There, faithfully every night if only for a few moments before his watch began, Sabin Rene Figaro would slip into a quiet meditation. It was something he had been doing since his training under Duncan began and it was the perfect way to keep himself energized no matter how weary the travel and fights of the day had been. The trance would allow him to block every image and noise out of his mind. In this place, he would only see what he could best describe as the night sky. It was peaceful and impenetrable.

There were few things that could snap him out of his nightly meditations. A hoard of local beasts that wandered to their campgrounds was one, and a fairly obvious one at that. His brother had successfully pulled him from his trance the first time he ran the chainsaw's motor next to the monk's ear. However, it was also the last time since the result had left the king with a terrible headache even after all the Cure magic Locke casted on him. Gau also managed to snap him out of it the time he tackled Sabin from behind. During the wrestling match Relm watched, mouth agape, while Setzer nearly fell over from laughter. And dinner. Dinner could always bring the monk back to reality.

But small instances aside, there were only two people that could bring him out of his meditation. His old master could always do it by speaking to him. It always got him into trouble and Sabin quickly learned how to fake the meditation. It took a few years, but he was finally able to stay in at least a light trance, and only when Duncan would speak directly to him would it cause a problem. The other was the green-haired girl that had been traveling with Locke and Edgar when he encountered them.

He always seemed to know when she was around. He could feel her presence even in the deepest of meditations. He could see an image of her in his mind whenever she so stretched a leg. At first it threw him off completely and he could barely focus. Simple reasoning from his training led him to figure out that her intense aura was from the same source as her mysterious magic. With no real understanding of her own abilities at first, she lacked the control over the energy that was constantly exerting from her body. It was annoying and distracting, but his innate kindness took away any desire to speak to her on the matter. It was not difficult to read the strife and worry held within her heart. So instead, he returned to his meditation.

No matter how much time went by, he would always remember the first time she interrupted his meditative state unintentionally. His eyes were closed; his mind was focused on the night sky that was his balance point. Suddenly a bright human figure appeared in his vision and walked slowly in front of him. Sabin's eyes slowly opened to see her moving slowly between him and the fire while staring at the sky above them.

"Terra," he addressed her quietly.

She looked down at him, eyes widened as if surprised he would speak. "Yes?"

There was silence between them. Sabin was not quite sure of what to say to her; he had only felt the need to address her after the shock of her aura appearing in his personal night sky. A moment or two more passed and Sabin noted the quality silk dress that relaxed over her curves and the solider-like way she moved was a sharp contrast to the insecurities she wore on her sleeve. He now knew he needed to say something to ease her burdened mind.

Sabin rose to his feet and answered her. "What were you looking at?"

Whether or not she was aware his question was a deliberate attempt to calm her nerves, he was unsure of. She seemed to appreciate the mild distraction. "The sky. It's very beautiful."

Sabin crossed his arms, thinking of what he would respond with. All he could do was nod in agreement.

* * *

It would be quite a while before he meditated while she was traveling with him. No more than a few hours after he made it back to Narshe, Terra turned into her Esper form and took off to the skies she so frequently watched. He felt her magical aura tear through his very conscious and he could only watch as she attempted to flee from herself. It wouldn't be until much later while camping on the Empire's home continent that he would meditate near her again.

It was different from the first time he had meditated by her. She was still quite uneasy and unconfident, though Sabin was able to read that off of her as soon as she stepped onto the airship for the first time. This time, however, her aura wasn't nearly as bright in his mind's eye since she had learned to control the magical power imbued in her from being a half Esper. Still, her aura was so strong that she lit up his night sky. She walked in front of him and his eyes opened, watching her every movement. He watched as she looked at the sky for a few moments before turning her head towards him. Sabin smiled as she looked slightly puzzled.

He rose to his feet and walked a few steps to stand next to her. "Looking at the sky again?"

There was a pause before Terra broke out into a small giggle. Sabin turned his head toward her, now fully puzzled by her reaction to his question. "Sabin, I flew."

Sabin folded his arms and returned his attention to the night sky. "Yeah, that had kind of been my reaction the first time I rode in Setzer's airship…"

The young girl just smiled and shook her head. "No, _I_ flew. In the sky." Terra's arm moved to point to the sky above them. "Right up there."

Sabin smirked, having been previously unaware that she retained the memories in midst of her transformation. "Yeah, you did. Scared the wits out of us."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you all…" Terra's face turned to match the emotion in her words.

He quickly noticed this and acted to change the conversation. "So was it like flying on the airship?"

"No," She replied with a small smile. "It was very different. It was an incredible feeling. I felt… free. It was just the sky and me. And it was beautiful from that view."

He just smirked, thinking about how when he had flown in the airship the sky looked exactly the same from that view as it did from the ground.

* * *

"I'm taking a breather," Sabin told them, waving his hand to signal for Setzer not to deal him in this hand.

"Oh sure," Setzer answered. "Just as soon as you started losing!"

"Well Celes, it's just you and me then," Edgar grinned.

"Not a chance," she replied flatly, glaring at the lecherous king as she did so. Sabin just smiled to himself as he made his way towards the deck.

Events had passed that he certainly would have never guessed would ever occur. Many of them were far worse than their planned worst-case scenarios. They had all managed. Through tears, injuries, and strife, they were all reunited and their resolve reinforced. Their world was in ruin and its people were distraught and hopeless. It was on them to restore hope and peace.

It was a task he had taken upon himself immediately. It was what his master expected out of him after all. And in his traveling he would find some of his companions and stop Kefka. His plan took a lot longer than he had initially thought, and it hadn't even dawned on him that some of his allies would also lose hope. But after Celes found him, the ball finally rolled and they were all reunited.

The year had changed all of them in at least a small way. Locke came to terms with Rachel's death while Cyan learned a bit about false hope versus reality. Celes had never been so passionate in anything she did. Little Relm perhaps grew the most, but that could only be expected when a ten year old went through what she had to.

Sabin now stood on the deck. The wind that floated the airship as it wandered the skies blew at him with a force that threatened to knock him over. It was no different from when he stood on the deck of Setzer's old airship.

But that was far from the truth. Everything was different from the year before. Even the sky looked different, the sun and stars partially blocked by the dust and dirt from their planet's reformation. He was different. He had grown physically and emotionally.

His eyes set on the green-haired girl leaning on the railing by herself. He hadn't even realized his attachment to her until after they were separated the second time. Maybe it had been the long year between the last time he had seen her, or perhaps it had simply been their individual growth. While on the outside, neither had changed much. Inside, however, their growth was much more intense. Sabin had become more determined and had learned that his connections to the ones he loved made him stronger. Terra had finally accepted herself and her abilities, thus becoming more confident and more powerful than she ever had been before, which only added to her beauty in his opinion.

Terra turned her head as she heard someone approach. "Sabin."

"Terra," he answered as he walked next to her then proceeded to lean on the railing as she did.

"Is something the matter?"

"No, just thought I'd take a breather from the game for a bit. What're you doing up here?"

"I'm just thinking."

"What about?"

"A little bit of everything I guess. The children… The battle ahead…"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to worry so much?"

She laughed a little. "No, no. No worry Sabin, just thinking."

"All right then," he answered.

Silence set between them as their attention turned to the land and the sky above it. This was the part that Sabin appreciated most about his friendship with Terra. While everyone in their group had grown deeply close due from their battles together, there were still some clashing personalities. At times, things just got too out of control for Sabin. For Terra too it seemed. Together they didn't need to say a word, but could have an entire conversation, both leaving more content and relaxed then when they had come together. There was a peace between the two.

"So have you thought what you'll do when this is all over?" Terra asked, breaking the long silence between them.

"Haven't thought that far in advance," Sabin answered truthfully. "Just ask my brother – I've never been a real planner." Terra giggled for a moment, knowing just what Edgar would say. "What about you?"

"I'll go back to Mobliz," She answered with a broad smile. "I'd like to get regular schooling in for them. I think it's important."

"I think I'd have to agree. Knowledge is what's gotten us this far."

There was a pause as Terra turned her head towards him. "Maybe you can come by and teach the children a bit. I'm sure they'd love to after the way you beat up Phunbaba."

"Hah, I don't blame them," he answered, slightly amused.

After a few moments, Terra's voice lowered to a whisper. "Besides, I'm sure I'll miss you."

"Is that so?" Sabin teased. "…Well then I guess I'll just have to come by."

"Good," she answered before resuming her watch of their surroundings.

Sabin felt fully at peace watching the sky from the deck of the airship with her. He hadn't been searching for a special someone to protect, but he finally knew he had found her. His reached out, his hand sliding up her back before resting between her shoulder blades.

There really wasn't any time for a solid relationship; Locke and Celes discovered that the hard way. Terra and Sabin were each too focused on their current goal of freeing the world from Kefka. Maybe then, once peace returned, they could see where their friendship could lead. But for now, Sabin was content with fighting by her side and protecting her and her dreams. Even if she remained nothing more than the beauty that would appear in his meditations, he was content with what he shared with her.

Terra blushed as she felt his hand on her back. As it found its resting place, her hand moved to touch his hand still on the railing. Sabin's eyes met hers for just a moment before looking back at the sky.

Yeah, maybe he wasn't much of a planner. But boy did the future look bright and hopeful.


	3. 003 Forgiveness

Sabin leaned against the stone wall, breathing heavily and sure there were several open wounds across his body. Gau sat down next to him, barely staying conscious while Terra and Cyan had gone through the doorway to see if it would be a safe place to recover for a few hours. They were all weary from the undead that wandered the caves and desperately needed some time to rest so they'd be able to cast the necessary healing spells needed to carry on. Sabin thought he was going to have to carry the poor kid at one point.

"Sirs, it is safe within," Cyan said in what seemed like his typical calm and maintained voice, but Sabin knew better and sensed the exhaustion from him too.

"Great," Sabin answered. "Come on now kid." Sabin scooped the weary boy up and carried him inside where Terra had already started a small fire and unrolled a couple of sleeping bags. He looked at Terra, who motioned for him to put Gau down. Sabin nodded, and put the boy down. He staggered back while she cast several cure spells on him. Moments later Gau curled up on his side and slipped into a peaceful sleep.

"I will take a watch for now. The two you should rest until your strength has returned," Cyan spoke to them from the doorway.

"But Cyan," Terra protested. "You are injured as well."

"Do not worry for me, my lady. I have more years doing this; I am well experienced." Cyan lowered his head to the two of them before turning his attention back to the path to the Sealed Cave.

Sabin sat next to Terra and retrieved some dried meat from his pack. He handed some to Terra and the two ate silently.

An hour or so went by before anything was said. Terra was finally the one to break the silence. "I wonder… I wonder if they hate me…"

"Who could hate you Terra?" Sabin asked, genuinely curious at the randomness of the statement.

Terra looked down at her hands. "All the people I've murdered all while under the Empire's control… How could I ever be forgiven for what I've done?"

"Terra, you were brainwashed. You had absolutely no idea what was going on."

"I know, but I feel like that's no excuse… I wonder if some of these souls coming after us are those whom I have slain."

Sabin just shook his head. "Terra, no one has any sway over you now. You have to forgive yourself so you can move on."

Terra remained quiet and Sabin let her think on the wisdom of his master. He chanted for a moment and put his hand over the wound on her arm. Terra watched as the soft green light surrounded the area for a moment before dissipating. "You deserve to be forgiven Terra. You're a good person."

Between the cure spell and his words, Terra couldn't help but smile. "Thank you."

"No worries. Just being honest." Sabin looked up to see that Cyan had been watching the two of them with a small smile on his face. Cyan quickly looked back outside after realizing that Sabin had noticed.


	4. 004 Regret

"Edgar, can I ask you a question?" Terra asked late one night on the Falcon. They had spent time with Sabin and Celes talking about their plans to take on Kefka – not that that was a surprise or anything. It was the whole point of their banding back together after all.

Edgar had stepped away first in hopes of being able to go straight to bed. But, the gentleman he was, no matter how weary, he turned to Terra and gave her one of his patented charming smiles. "Why of course my dear lady. Anything you wish."

Terra smiled at the expected reaction. "Do you… do you regret spending this time away from Figaro?"

Edgar folded his arms in front of his torso, taking a moment to think about her question. "I… am most certainly worried about Figaro. I am concerned for the well being of its citizens…" Edgar trailed off.

Sabin walked up behind the two. "What he means to say is that while he cares about Figaro, he doesn't regret leaving it right now because kicking the shit out of Kefka is way more important. So therefore, you shouldn't regret leaving Mobliz because…."

"…We're going to go kick… the shit out of Kefka…?" Terra asked, glancing between Edgar (who mentally face-palmed) and Sabin.

"Exactly!" Sabin answered as he patted Terra on the shoulder once before walking away.

"Well… that was quite an elegant way for the two of you to put it," Edgar said to no one in particular as he continued back on his original path to bed.


	5. 016 Absurd

**Prompt:** 16. Absurd

**Rating:** G

**Summary:** Insanity happens during a card game the night before the group plans to go to Kefka's Tower.

It seemed like it should have been tenser than it was, but the people on the airship were more excited and motivated. Of course they all knew that the others were somewhat afraid of the task that laid in front of them, but that only seemed to make them braver. As Setzer had put it many times: "Insanity must be blocking our normal reactions of fear."

The importance of the next day had caused them to make sure each person was well equipped in the armor and weapons they were most comfortable and confident with. The afternoon was spent flying around the world quickly to seek out extra accessories just in case. Gau and Relm had been left with the task to make sure each person had an ample supply of healing items in their packs, even if one or two Phoenix Downs had been lost from their pushing.

Even the members of the party that normally did not partake in the nightly poker game made it a point to play that night. It was particularly entertaining to Edgar when Gogo sat next Strago and copied every single one of his moves, including the time when Strago got so annoyed, he punched Gogo in the arm, who in turn punched Mog in the arm. This caused a chain event of Mog falling out of his chair, but not before his wing caught the back of Cyan's pony tail and yanked his head back. Cyan stomped his foot down to keep his balance much harder then he thought, and nearly crushed Locke's foot. Locke let out a high pitch yelp, which surprised Celes so that she jumped and somehow managed to shoulder check Setzer. Setzer knocked his glass of scotch over, which would have spilled onto Terra had Sabin not seen what was coming and without really thinking pulled Terra onto his lap to keep her out of the way.

Sabin and Terra watched as everyone at the table took a few moments to gather themselves. "Well, that sure shows that Kefka should be afraid of us!" Sabin exclaimed as he slammed his fist onto the table. Terra arched an eyebrow at first, but as soon as Edgar and Setzer laughed, she found herself joining in.


	6. 030 Innocence

**Prompt:** 30. Innocence

**Rating:** PG

**Summary:** While progressing through Kefka's Tower, Sabin recalls a memory from his youth he was surprised he hadn't remembered sooner.

Sabin wasn't quite sure how he found himself lost in a memory at a time like this. There they were, geared up in their best armor, carrying an abundance of healing items and making their way through the maze that was Kefka's tower. One moment he was aware of Gau running on all fours down the hallway that used to belong in the Magitek Facility in Vector, the next he was suddenly reminded of a random memory by looking at a broken glass tube.

Thirteen year old Sabin was completely and utterly bored. Not only had his father forced him and Edgar to go to Vector with him for some political gathering, but also made sure Matron kept him in formal clothes and on his best behavior. Sure, he was used to politics and knew that he had to behave in certain ways, but Vector was so different. It was _so_ damn boring.

There were no kids in the palace, which had hallways that were more dimly lit than Figaro's and there were no courtyards. Sabin wasn't so much allowed to get any fresh air without at least two Vector soldiers hovering annoyingly close to him. And calling it fresh air was being quite liberal, Sabin thought as he wrinkled his nose in disgust. The air outside smelled bad and smoke from the city hung over the ugly buildings and palace, causing the sun to never quite break through even in the middle of the day. There wasn't a good breeze either and though the temperature wasn't as hot as Figaro, it bothered him more in Vector than it did at home.

He knew he was taking a risk when he decided to wander around. In his defense, he knew his father was meeting with the Emperor, but he had no idea where Matron and Edgar were. Matron would probably pull his ear so hard she'd rip it off when she found him anyway, so Sabin figured he'd make the best of it and maybe at the very least find a library or something.

The hallways looped around and Sabin managed to get himself lost in them. When he stumbled into a lab with glass pillars and lots of machinery, he knew he could get in serious trouble. Not only would Matron kill him, he'd have to deal with his father because whatever serious talks were going on could go really bad if he was caught.

So when he heard voices, Sabin hid behind the first piece of large machinery he could find. Two men with long white coats on chatted to each other as they walked into the room, but Sabin was too far away to hear what they were saying. Behind them stood a soldier with a shield and a pole arm.

"This is a foolish idea," one of the men in the white coat said as he looked to the soldier. The other stood in front of one of the small computers in between two glass tubes. That was when Sabin noticed that there was something - no someone small floating in a glass tube. His eyes widened when steam came from the glass tube. When it cleared he could clearly make out a little girl with wild green hair standing at half the height of the three men in the room.

"Dr. Cid, don't you think we should step away in case…?"

"Hmm, yes. But this is still unwise. The girl is only four years old. She's hardly fit for this."

"The Emperor wishes to know her progress," the soldier answered.

"Yes, of course, of course," Cid mumbled as he and the other man walked to the other side of the room.

The soldier stared at the little girl and Sabin watched as she watched the two men walk away. The soldier cleared his throat, which caught her attention and she stared back at him. Sabin found himself in shock when the soldier pulled his shield on guard and pointed his weapon at the small child.

As Sabin expected, the girl screamed and backed up quickly until she hit the glass tube she had been in only minutes before. What he didn't expect was for her to then draw a small dagger and take on a fighting stance. Sabin watched her eyes narrow slightly and she stepped forward, taking a few swings that were very impressive for a four year old girl. Judging by the sound of the dagger against the soldier's shield, there was some force behind the swings too. Sabin was pretty sure this was a girl he didn't want to fight against.

The soldier and the girl were now in the middle of the room. Sabin glanced over to the two other men and saw them nodding. She swung with the dagger a few more times with a form that clearly proved she had been trained with the weapon. Sabin was starting to wonder why they would keep a child in a glass tube when the child interrupted his thoughts by letting out another scream.

This time the soldier had thrust his weapon forward and the girl had stepped back quickly. He did so again, this time the tip of the weapon getting closer to her. The soldier looked unhappy with her when she fell on the floor. When he thrust his weapon at her once more, Sabin couldn't believe his eyes as he watched her thrust her hand toward the soldier and a burst of flame was suddenly against his shield. The soldier took a step back and Terra jumped to her feet and continued throwing small fireballs at the soldier.

So many questions ran through Sabin's mind at once. He ran through weird theories until finally his mind called out one single word that immediately made sense - _magic_.

Sure Sabin had heard stories about magic - and what else _could_ this be aside from magic?- and had been tutored on it, but he never would have guessed he'd see it first hand. From a little girl, no less.

The soldier took another controlled attack on the little girl and this time in her fear she conjured up a larger fireball that didn't look as focused as her other magic. It went to the left of the shield, actually striking the soldier this time. He immediately crumpled to the tile floor and the little girl suddenly gasped.

The men left their spot in the corner of the room and quickly walked to the two. The little girl looked up nervously at Cid. "Good job," he responded as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Yes," the second man said as he helped the soldier up. "Although she needs better response time to increased levels of hostility. She needs more focus to her magic."

Cid looked down to the little girl and offered her a quick smile. "Will that suffice for your report?"

The soldier let out a deep breath and nodded. "I will report to the Emperor at once. Thank you."

Sabin tucked himself lower so he was unable to see the rest of the events, just in case someone in the room were to look over or walk by. He heard the soldier leave first, then some mechanical noises. Then finally, after what felt like forever, Sabin heard the two voices become more quiet and a door close. Silence hung over the room and Sabin slowly peeked out and saw the room was empty. He quietly stood up, wincing as his leg cramped from his crouched hiding position.

The practical voice in the back of his head screamed that he needed to leave now before anyone came back in. And surely by now Matron was in a huff looking for him. His curiosity piqued though, Sabin found himself walking across the room to the glass tube the little girl was suspended in again. Her eyes were closed and her loose hair floated around her. Her hands rested gently against her white dress. She looked so serene and innocent. Sabin gently pressed his hands against the glass tube.

The green haired girl opened her eyes suddenly showing fear, then honest surprise seeing the boy standing in front of the tube. But when he smiled, she just stared at him.

"Hi," Sabin said. There was a bit of silence and Sabin hoped that she wasn't going to be able to throw fireballs at him from where she was in the tube. "I won't hurt you."

The girl still didn't say anything, but she did move to press her hands up to his on the other side of the glass. She stared at them and he watched her. "Yours are bigger," she finally said.

"I'm older," Sabin answered.

A flash of innocence shot through her eyes. "I'm four."

"Do you have any friends?"

"Friends?" She asked quietly.

"Someone you play with," he explained in a way he figured a child could understand.

"I… play with the soldiers." The little girl frowned. "But… I… hurt them. I don't like hurting them."

Sabin suddenly felt his heart ache. Regardless of whatever power she possessed, he knew innately that this was a whole different level of wrong. He might be a prince, but he still had time to be a kid and play in the courtyard and out in the desert. This little girl was being treated as an experiment and being conditioned to fight.

Suddenly they both looked to the door the men had come through before. "I… I have to go. I'll come back later!" Sabin said as he rushed away from the tube and back through the door he had come in by.

Sabin raced his way back to their guest suite, wanting to tell his father that they were keeping a poor little girl trapped in a glass tube. Tell him how a child so much smaller then him wielded an amazing power. But as he got closer, his mind caught up and he realized that even if he did tell Dad, not only would he get upset, but there would be nothing he could do about it anyway.

"There you are son, I was getting worried," his father said as Sabin walked through the door into their room. "Matron said you found the library, did you enjoy it today?"

Sabin was mildly surprised that Matron hadn't gone looking for him and assumed he was in the library. She must have frightened the wait staff in the palace enough that they finally told her he was tucked away in a library with a scholar. "Yes," he answered, keeping up with the lie. It would be easier then telling when he had really seen.

Sabin couldn't believe he had managed to push that memory away. It must have been because Dad got poisoned shortly after and when he left to train with Duncan, he pushed those memories as far away as possible. Who would've ever thought that he'd met Terra a long, long time before that afternoon on Mt. Kolts?

Something stirred in him. More then ever before, he wanted to protect her. He wanted to be her shield and cut through every manner of beast that laid in front of them. He wanted to make it so not a single thing could threaten her. He couldn't help himself when he punched the broken glass and watched the rest of it shatter into small pieces and fall onto the floor.

"Sabin?" Terra asked, walking slowly to him, her metal armor clunking slightly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, got lost for a second," he answered, still amazed that with her petite frame she could move so gracefully in the heavy armor.

She nodded. "Gau scouted the rest of this room and Setzer's taking just a few steps ahead." Terra turned away from Sabin and began walking to the end of the corridor.

"Terra, I'm sorry I never came back. I wanted to save you from that place…"

Terra stopped in her tracks and turned just slightly. "Sabin? What are you talking about?"

"You don't remember?" He asked as he took the few steps to stand next to her.

She spent a long moment contemplating his words. "I… no. I'm afraid I don't understand."

Sabin couldn't help but smile from the soft look in her eyes. "It's okay. I'll tell you later. For now we have to give Kefka the beating he's earned, right?" He winked as he ran on ahead.


	7. 005 Discovery

**Prompt: **5. Discovery

**Rating: **G

**Summary: **Just a fluffy fic with some humorous inopportune timings.

Sabin's eyes opened slowly as the very first light peered its way in the room through the sheer curtains. His first instinct was to stretch out on the bed, but as the first twitch went through his leg, he stopped it quickly. Without moving anything but his neck, Sabin managed to look over to Terra. A soft sigh of relief came from him that she was asleep.

As softly as he could, he rolled on his side toward her. He brought his hand up to idly play with a couple of curls. He wanted to wake her - have some time alone with her before the madness of the morning began. But he thought better of it. She had been pushing herself too hard lately and it was obvious the stress was wearing on her. Every morning for the last week and a half or so she hadn't been able to keep her breakfast down. Of course, then she wouldn't give her body any time to recover before going back to her duties. It was a wonder none of the children had gotten sick yet.

Maybe today he could force her to stay in bed and take a sick day already. Although he did really need to fix the stables since the recent storm off the ocean forced a tree through the roof. Thankfully there were no injuries, but he did need to fix it before the next spring storm rolled through. Maybe if he got up now and did the heavy work before breakfast he could leave Duane in charge of the rest.

Sabin rose quietly out of bed and stretched his arms to the ceiling while yawning. He looked over his shoulder to make sure that Terra was still sleeping, then changed into his most comfortable work clothes, figuring he had the work of two to do today. Very quietly he left the room and walked down the stairs.

None of the children were up yet, at least in the common area. But if any of them were up, it would be Ilia, and she was probably just harmlessly reading in her bed still. He went outside just past the barn where he had left the wood and tools late the night before.

An hour or two of work saw most of the heavy cutting done, which surprised him. Then again, he normally was monitoring several children at the same time, so he had that advantage so far. He peeked at the main house and saw a couple figures run by the window. Sabin tucked his tools away, his stomach agreeing that it was time for breakfast.

"Papa!" Sabin was greeted immediately. "Mama was looking for you!"

"She was? Do you know where she is now Andrew?"

"Mama's in the kitchen making breakfast! She said she's makin' pancakes."

Sabin smiled and thanked Andrew. He walked past him and into the kitchen, stepping over a couple of wooden toys on the way. Sure enough, he walked in to see a very pale-faced Terra standing over a mixing bowl. "Good morning," he said, making Terra aware of his presence.

"Morning," She answered with a smile as he kissed her forehead.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," she said half heartedly.

"You got sick again, didn't you?" He asked, dropping a bit of butter onto the large cast iron pan on the stovetop.

Terra offered a weak smile. "…Yeah."

Sabin took the bowl and spoon from her. "Then you shouldn't be preparing food," he scolded.

"It needed to get started," she insisted.

"Well you started it, now you can rest." Sabin glanced and saw that she was coming up with something to say in protest. "If you don't get better soon, I'm going to drag you to Nikeah to find a doctor."

"Sabin the ground's finally thawed! We need to get the seeds sown."

"Then I'll get it done." For a few minutes the only sound in the kitchen was sizzling from the pan. "Eat," He said as he flipped a couple pancakes onto a plate once they were done. "Then you're on bed rest."

"Okay," Terra finally agreed as she took the warm plate.

Just before noon, Terra sat at the edge of her bed, clutching her stomach. Once again, breakfast didn't stay down. Despite how adamant she was about doing work she was worried about her recent health problems as well. She knew Sabin was right about their luck that no one else had gotten sick.

But that made her keep thinking. Illness always spread really quickly through the kids once one of them got sick. She thought back on other times where just one of them was sick. At first all she could think of was the time they realized Delilah couldn't eat walnuts.

Then Terra remembered when Katarin was pregnant and would get violently ill in the mornings. Terra's heart raced for a second as she wondered about the possibility. At first she tried to convince herself it wasn't possible. But as she went through Katarin's other symptoms in her head and realized that hers matched to what Katarin experienced. Her body had changed over the last couple of months. And she had been craving blueberries randomly - which Sabin found a way to get them for her even though they weren't in season. The final realization was that she hadn't had a normal bleeding cycle in months; something she hadn't even realized until then.

Quickly Terra dashed to the window and peeked her head out. "Sabin!" She yelled upon seeing him carrying some shovels and hoes. "Sabin! I'm pregnant!"

Sabin gasped and dropped all the equipment so it made a terrible noise as it rattled to the ground. She couldn't help but smile when she saw him smile and run towards the main house. She heard the door slam against the frame twice, a clear sign it had been swung upon with a great force that caused it to bounce before closing.

Terra had wanted to meet him in the hallway and throw her arms around him to share in the excitement. But her stomach lurched and she had to dash back into the bathroom.

"Terra! This is amazing!" Sabin exclaimed as he ran into their bedroom. He threw his arms up and was about toe celebrate more, but suddenly stopped mid-cheer when heard her vomiting again. "Oh, Terra…"

Terra came out of the bathroom, wiping her mouth. That was when she noticed Sabin was grinning ear to ear. "Sabin, you're bleeding!" She said, touching his bicep gently.

"It must've happened when I dropped the tools…" He said sheepishly.

"Terra, I celebrated while you threw up," he answered. "Besides, it doesn't matter." Sabin threw his arms around her. "You're pregnant! You're sure?"

The smile came back to her face. "I'm pretty sure. It's the same symptoms Katarin had…"

"It makes sense. We're having a baby!" Sabin said excitedly. "This is the greatest day!"

Terra stood on her tip toes and kisses his cheek. Her hand slipped over her stomach and his met hers there and clasped over it.


End file.
